Prosecutors in Hanoi have pressed power abuse charges against two members of Vietnam’s supreme prosecutor's office, saying they demanded bribes from some traffickers.

Nguyen Thi Mai Hong and Ho Xuan Thuy, two examiners at the Supreme People’s Procuracy, asked for bribes worth VND60 million (US$2,850) from people involved in a ring smuggling laptops worth $111,000 into Vietnam.

Examiners are those who assist prosecutors in their work.

The ring was busted by Australian police in May 2010.

The prosecutors said the couble had promised to help the ring avoid criminal charges and had refused the first bribe offer of VND10 million, which they considered not enough.

Hong and Thuy, who were assistants in the investigation, even asked the Ho Chi Minh City-based traffickers to bring the money to their place in Hanoi.

Angry about the expensive demand, the traffickers in August 2010 lodged complaints against the examiners.

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Hong and Thuy were arrested on September 1 after receiving $1,000 in cash from one member in the ring at a house in Hanoi .

Among the people in the ring, Do Thanh Lam lived in Sydney, and six others lived in Vietnam.

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